Donald Trump's deft use of social media was integral to his rise to political power in 2016, and his partnership with tech mogul Elon Musk, owner of Platform played a key role in the successful retaking of the White House.
Following President Trump's victory on November 5th, Musk is not the only technology industry leader rooting for the president-elect. Other Silicon Valley CEOs are falling head over heels to herald his victory and position their companies to win business from his administration.
The tech industry hasn't always supported President Trump's disruptive brand of politics. Following the Jan. 6, 2021, mob attack on the U.S. Capitol, tech company CEOs, but not Musk, were accused at the time of inciting violent attempts to overturn the results of the presidential election. stood out among corporate leaders who criticized President Trump. free and fair elections.
“The shocking events of the past 24 hours are that President Donald Trump intends to use his remaining term in office to undermine the peaceful and lawful transition of power to his elected successor, Joe Biden. “This clearly shows that,” Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said. I wrote On January 7, 2021, Trump justified his ban from Facebook.
“His decision to use his platform to condone, rather than condemn, the actions of his supporters at the Capitol understandably upset people in the United States and around the world.”
But since Trump's victory, Zuckerberg and other top executives at major U.S. technology companies, including Apple's Tim Cook, Google's Sundar Pichai and Microsoft's Satya Nadella, have all He has publicly expressed his disapproval of the January 6 riots and the politicians who encouraged them. hurry up This is to congratulate the president-elect and welcome the opportunity to work with his administration.
Zuckerberg is face-to-face meeting On November 27, he met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, a club in West Palm Beach, Florida, during which Meta's CEO conveyed his warm wishes to the organizers for the president's re-election. It is reported that.
previously Post to threadMr. Zuckerberg said: “Congratulations to President Trump on his decisive victory. We have great opportunities ahead of us as a nation, and I look forward to working with you and your administration.”
The exact goals of a technology CEO may vary. Google, Meta, Apple, and Amazon all face federal antitrust lawsuits that President Trump may be hoping will be amended or dropped. Mr. Musk's rocket company, SpaceX, has a multibillion-dollar ongoing contract with the U.S. government. may benefit Because of its close relationship with the Federation.
Mr. Zuckerberg may be trying to mend a damaged relationship with the Trump campaign, which has criticized the company along with other conservatives in Washington. Censor right-leaning viewpoints. Trump himself also blackmailed Zuckerberg was jailed for plotting against him during the 2020 election.
(Mr. Zuckerberg may also be trying to soften Mr. Musk's hostility; the rivals made headlines by challenging each other in 2023.) physical fight. )
On the very day that Zuckerberg met with Trump, Trump's incoming deputy chief of staff for policy, Stephen Miller, said: fox news “We are making very clear our desire to be supporters and participants in this change that we are seeing in America and around the world with this reform movement led by Donald Trump,” Mehta said in a statement. .
A spokesperson for Mehta offered more sober public comment. I'm saying“Mark appreciated the invitation to dinner with President Trump and the opportunity to meet with members of his team about the incoming administration.”
At this point, business leaders are under no obligation to go to the barricades in opposition to the president-elect. But instead of demonstrating a disregard for democratic norms and actively trying to gain the president's support. undermine the rule of law –Characteristics of American democracy that have allowed business to thrive –Tech CEOs should urge Trump to exercise caution and moderation when he returns to power.
They haven't done that. Nor has he chosen the more prudent option of remaining cautiously silent while waiting to see whether the new president acts on his more disturbing statements.
Sadly, the technology industry has chosen a strategy of complete acquiescence. Popular Information is a newsletter led by Judd Legum. collected It's a notable example of technology company leaders conveniently forgetting their previous condemnation of Trump's attempts to undermine democracy in order to praise him after last month's election.
For example, Zuckerberg did not offer any congratulations to Joe Biden after his victory in 2020, popular information noticed.
Microsoft's Nadella congratulates President Trump on November 5th victory and said “We look forward to working with you and your administration to drive innovation that creates new growth and opportunity for America and the world,” the company said.
Although Nadella reposted, he did not personally congratulate Biden after his 2020 victory. message From Brad Smith, President and No. 2 Executive at Microsoft.
in another interview In a paper published Nov. 21, Smith detailed at least one way Microsoft wants to “engage” with the Trump administration. Smith told tech industry trade publication The Information that Microsoft's artificial intelligence products can help reduce government spending and increase efficiency.
“AI is probably one of the most useful tools available to make government more efficient and reduce costs,” Smith said. “We could use the Manhattan Project just to better utilize technology to improve government as a whole.”
Smith's reference to the Manhattan Project, the World War II program to build the atomic bomb, appears to be a reference to President Trump's announcement to create the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). President Trump said DOGE would purge career civil servants. replace them with partisans. It will be led by Mr. Musk, who donated hundreds of millions of dollars to the Trump campaign and used X to spread the word. Conspiracy theories and other questionable pro-Trump contentbiotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
The day before Smith's interview was published, Musk and Ramaswamy outlined similar plans to deploy “advanced technology” to significantly reduce federal employee careers. Wall Street Journal editorial.
To be sure, Smith hasn't said that Microsoft supports specific goals of reducing the ranks of career civil servants or eliminating government agencies. He did not defend Ramaswami's musings such as: abolish the Ministry of EducationNuclear Regulatory Commission, Internal Revenue Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation.
But Musk and Ramaswamy's ambitions are no secret. Should Microsoft aim for pole position in the race to provide AI for these two efforts?
This is not a traditional incoming government. Like ordinary business leaders, tech CEOs need to tread carefully when dealing with Mr. Trump and his lieutenants. There's more at stake than the usual lobbying for government contracts and lower tax rates.
This is not a time for business as usual.
Paul Barrett is deputy director of the Center for Business and Human Rights at New York University's Stern School of Business.
